Pirates loot 3 firearms from forest outpost

Pirates looted three firearms and some ammunition from a forest outpost at Haldibunia in the Sundarbans early yesterday and demanded Tk 3 lakh for their return. The loot includes one SLR (self-loaded rifle), two .303 rifles and 183 bullets.

Sources said a gang of 10 to 15 led by Shawkat attacked the forest outpost and held four forest guards, Delwar Hossain, Md Aslam, Babul Hossain and Kalam, at gunpoint. They later tied them up to a nearby tree.

They decamped with the weapons and ammo in a boat they came by.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zahid of Shyamnagar Police Station said the pirates called him over phone later and demanded Tk 3 lakh in return for the weapons. Police would launch an operation to hunt down the criminals, he added.

A case has been filed with Shyamnagar Police Station against Shawkat and others.

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), police and Forest Guards have beefed up security at all the outposts in the Sundarbans, BDR sources said.